Thursday, October 29, 2009

Press Statement by Lim Guan Eng in Georgetown on Thursday, 29th October 2009:Dissolve the Perak State Assembly for a clear mandate from the peopleDAP condemns BN’s shameless and dictatorial take over of the Perak State Assembly yesterday which resulted in violent acts against the rightful Perak State Assembly Speaker Sivakumar and PR ADUNs.The Barisan Nasional illegally appointed Speaker, Datuk R. Ganesan had banned the use of visual recording devices, mobile phones and laptops in the House. This is totally in contrast of what is practised at Parliament where the parliamentarians can now access the Internet via the computers provided by the Dewan. We condemn these double standards as it was reported that Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib (Slim-BN) was seen typing at his laptop throughout the proceedings.All the Pakatan politicians were subjected to undergo metal detection screening and frisking. This is a clear infringement and a threat to the democratic rights of our elected representatives of the people. Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Ming received the wrath of the police when he resisted the attempts to a bodily search. During the body search, a police officer had grabbed his private parts. The rightful Perak Speaker, Sivakumar was roughed up while the police were tearing off his robe.To allow the police to conduct proceedings in the Perak State Assembly proves that there is no more democratically elected government in Perak but that it is a police state.The Perak Budget 2010 speech was delivered by Datuk Zambry in less than 20 minutes. Very little details very given to the sketchy budget and yet, it was tabled and passed with the support of the BN and Independent State Assemblymen.DAP reiterates its call of an immediate dissolution of the Perak State Assembly and hold fresh elections in Perak to allow the rakyat the right to choose their own government. Only by returning power to the people, then can justice, freedom, truth and democracy be restored in Perak.*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General & Penang Chief Minister; Member of Parliament for Bagan

Monday, October 19, 2009

Najib and Zambry should heed their own advice and follow the law. They have no moral standing to advise others to act correct politically, morally and legally until they themselves do so and dissolve the Perak State Assembly

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has advised MCA leadership not only be legally correct but also morally and politically acceptable when finding a solution to the MCA crisis. He together with Dato’ Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, the court appointed Menteri Besar of Perak have warned Pakatan Rakyat to obey the law in this coming 28 October 2009 sitting of the Perak State Assembly.

Shame on them! Both Najib and Zambry were the ones who have acted immorally, illegally and their actions were not politically acceptable when they toppled the Pakatan Rakyat Government of Perak in February this year. They denied the people their rights to choose their government and courted the assemblymen who they themselves accused of being corrupt to support them just to gain power in Perak. They did not follow the law and went against the very democratic principles upon which the foundation of this nation is laid.

Perak BN continue to ignore the law by claiming that Dato’ Ganesan is the lawful speaker. He was never elected as one on 7 May 2009 as there was chaos in the Perak State Assembly and Assembly sitting has not begun when he was purported by elected at around 10.30 am. If BN follows the law, they must accept the fact that when the lawful speaker, V. Sivakumar was chairing the Assembly no one else can have the authority to chair another sub-Assembly within the State Assembly. The sitting had not begun until the Regent of Perak delivered his opening speech at 3.06 pm on 7 May 2009. The sitting on 7 May 2009 itself was not valid as the lawful speaker, V. Sivakumar was forcibly evicted and imprisoned in a room by the police just prior to the opening speech of the Regent of Perak.

Dato’ Ganesan has failed to take and sign the oath of office before the State Assembly on 7 May 2009 as required by Article 36A(1A) of the Perak Constitution.

Event if Dato’ Ganesan was lawfully elected on 7 May 2009 (which is denied), Article 36A(5) of the Perak State Constitution has disqualified him as Dato’ Ganesan has failed to resign from this legal profession within the prescribed 3 months’ period.

BN has also instructed the police to breach the law by arresting more than a hundred people who did not commit any offence in the Perak crisis. The fact that none of them have been charged only goes to show that it was the police who committed wrongful arrests against them. The BN Government has also refused to disclose the names of the police officers who invaded the Perak State Assembly and forcibly evicted the lawful, V. Sivakumar when the question as asked in Parliament. Why is BN Government protecting these wrong doers? The police has told me that they were only carrying out the instructions of their BN political masters.As BN has failed to follows the law, lawlessness will continue in Perak.

The situation in Perak rightly justify the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly as there is a stalemate as to who rightfully should lead the Perak State Government and the Perak State Assembly. The democratic convention demands that the assembly be dissolved in such circumstances.

I call on Datuk Seri Najib and Dato’ Seri Zambry to follow the law and agree to a dissolution of the Perak State Assembly as the people of Perak has suffered enough. ‘People first’ slogan of BN remains a slogan until the Perak State Assembly is dissolved to pave way for a fresh election.